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The floods that hit southern Louisiana in 2016 were reportedly the worst natural disaster to affect the United States since 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. As rainfall levels reached record highs and rivers swelled, up to eight inches of floodwaters infiltrated the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s Greenwell Springs Regional Branch. Out of the library’s 140,000-book collection, as many as 22,000 items were lost. Several required water-damaged-book restoration. Floods pose a threat to one of the greatest resources on the planet—books. Water damage in libraries can prove catastrophic, especially when wet documents don’t receive prompt attention.

There are more than 320,000 public libraries around the world. Adding to this figure are thousands of academic, government, research, museum, ecclesiastical, special topic, film, and home libraries. The largest libraries on the planet, such as the Library of Congress and British Library, house more than 15 million books, artifacts and archived materials each. A single incident of water damage in libraries can prove financially catastrophic, especially if the items affected are numerous, valuable or rare. When libraries pair climate control solutions with archival best practices and emergency preparedness, they reduce the need for water-damaged-book restoration and make a valuable investment in the institution’s future.

Regions throughout the world are known for their particular crops because of their climate profiles. North America, for example, is a major producer of sugarcane, almonds and strawberries. Western Asia produces rye, barley and wheat. The Middle East grows saffron and cotton. Thanks to technological advances in horticulture and farming, crops no longer have to be limited to their native geographical locations, climates and seasons. A growing number of regions that depend on food imports are becoming more self-reliable with greenhouses that use temporary climate control solutions that mimic the conditions needed to produce a greater variety of crops. The technologies make food and other goods more abundant in regions affected by poor soil and water scarcity, and deliver seasonal crops to consumers year-round.

What draws consumers to fresh produce is also what makes it vulnerable to contamination, discoloration, desiccation, textural changes and nutritional losses. Conventional food processing methods help extend the shelf life of fresh goods, but may also introduce chemical preservatives that a growing number of consumers wish to avoid. By implementing the use of climate control solutions from the time workers harvest produce to the time grocers place it on their shelves, the goods will retain their quality in a more organic and marketable fashion.

In the baking industry, the right conditions give you a competitive advantage. The most successful bakeries have more than the right ingredients and skilled hands. They also use climate control solutions that ensure quality, high yields and the distinctive characteristics that customers seek in their goods. From cakes and crackers to pasta and bread, bakeries create diverse products that require specific ambient conditions for their successful preparation, storage and safe consumption.